


The Camp Out

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: California Dreaming [15]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Family, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-24
Updated: 2014-05-24
Packaged: 2018-01-26 08:47:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1682204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Tell me how you ever think I wouldn’t be fine spending an evening with you?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Camp Out

He'd forgotten he was lying on his cell phone until it started to vibrate near his hip. Gideon dropped his Kindle in his lap and reached under trying to grab it. He smiled when he saw who it was, stifling a yawn as he picked up and said hello.

“What are you doing right now?” Paloma asked.

“I'm about to sleep outside.”

“Outside? Did you lose a bet?”

“No. Dylan’s never camped out before. Cameron finally convinced him that the backyard is a good place to start. It’s a little drizzly but warm. The tent is waterproof and Scout is joining them on this adventure.”

“Two boys and a Black Lab,” Paloma laughed. “It definitely sounds like an adventure.”

“I didn’t want them out here alone so I'm going to sleep on the lounger.”

“That can't be comfortable.”

The truth was that it wasn’t. It was bearable, and bearable was tolerable. Jason Gideon had slept in some strange places in his time. Some were uncomfortable; some downright dangerous. He would survive a night on the lounger. 

He put the extra soft cushion under him and brought his favorite knitted blanket from the bedroom. Gus was resting across his legs for extra warmth. Gideon could rarely be anywhere in his house without a dog or cat snuggled close. It was actually a really good feeling.

“If the boys can sleep in a tent, I can do the lounger. And now is not the time to remind me that they're five decades younger.”

“My lips are sealed.” Paloma said. “We've been playing phone tag the past few days.”

“Between dad duties and work, I've been swamped. The open invitation to drop in whenever you like still stands.”

“I’d like to think I know you well, Jason. I’d like to think dropping by unannounced isn’t your thing.”

“It is when it’s you.” he replied. “What did you do tonight?”

“I cooked dinner, I talked to my sister, I had a run before it started raining, and then I watched _Funny Girl_ and sang all the songs. I thought now would be the perfect time to call you. You’d either be asleep or actually answer your phone.”

“I miss you.”

They hadn’t seen each other in four days and hadn’t talked in two. Jason was always busy. During the summer, as his relationship with Paloma blossomed, he'd almost forgotten how busy he really was. Raising five kids was no easy feat, and Jason was no longer a young man. 

There were papers to grade and homework to check and tents to put up for campouts. Paloma was busy as well, he knew she was transitioning from one job to another. Her father had been sick so she’d been spending time at home with her parents as well. Still, the withdrawal symptoms of not being together were probably getting to both of them.

“I miss you too. Tashima called me yesterday; it’s why I called. It’s not the only reason I called but I wanted to talk to you.”

“Is she alright? Nothing has seemed out of the ordinary for the past week or so.”

“She's trying to decide between lacrosse and field hockey.” Paloma said.

“I did know that. She was quite disappointed that neither was an Olympic sport. I think she might pick lacrosse because you don’t have to wear a skirt for that. She loves skirts but not the idea of playing sports in one.”

“She told me that parent-teacher night was next week.”

“It’s Wednesday.” Jason said. “I'm assured that their homeroom teacher will have nothing but amazing things to say about them. I’ll be having a good talk with their pre-algebra teacher though. Meka’s probably going to get a C and I want to know what we can do to make that better.”

“Tashima wants me to be there. She said Tameka did as well but she was elected to make the call. I told her that I’d have to check with you first. Tashima said you'd be fine with it but I remember how many things I said my parents would be fine with when I knew they totally wouldn’t be.”

“Tell me how you ever think I wouldn’t be fine spending an evening with you?”

“I'm not just talking about spending an evening together, Jason.” She smiled on the other end of the phone. “I'm talking about doing the parent thing.”

“I almost think that the girls want you as a mother more than they want me as a father. That doesn’t upset me…at that age they need a positive light of a woman in their lives. You're a beacon, Paloma.”

“And you're a sweet talker. So do you want to meet over at your place and drive to the school together or meet at the school?”

“I'm sorry?” Jason hadn’t been paying attention. 

He’d seen flashlights come on in the tent and they got his attention. He wanted to make sure that the boys were alright. The more he looked it seemed as if they were reenacting the Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi battle from Star Wars. He settled back into the lounger, his attention back on Paloma.

“Do you want to meet at your place or meet at school?”

“Meeting here is fine. We can drive over together and save on gas.”

“I forgot about saving on gas.” Paloma laughed. “I’ll add that to my list of reasons it’s a good idea.”

“I'm just trying to be practical.” Jason said it in his typical Jason tone.

“You're quite good at that.”

“Are you being a smart ass?” now there was a little snark in his voice.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Yes,” Jason laughed. “Yes, I would. Why don’t you tell me?”

“We should get back to the part about you missing me.” Paloma said. “That conversation can go in so many different, but awesome directions.”

“Do you want to come over tomorrow night? We can watch _The Little Dictator_ or _Modern Times_.”

“We could watch _Harold and Maude_ or _The Mirror has Two Faces_.” 

“We’ll watch whatever you want, as long as you say yes.”

“Yes.” Paloma said. “Are you sure you'll be alright sleeping out on the lounger?”

“I’ll survive…hopefully.”

“Should I bring some oil for a massage tomorrow evening?”

“You should see my face right now.” Jason said.

“I can take a wild guess what it looks like.”

Paloma smiled as she sighed. She couldn’t wait until tomorrow night to be together. She’d been good over the past few days of not seeing him. It wasn’t easy but she only called twice and texted a few times. 

They were in a relationship so it was OK to reach out. She really loved him though, and knew she could be smothering when she really loved someone. Jason wasn’t the kind of man you could smother. He reminded her in a cat in that way. 

For a while he’d appreciate the attention, no one had given it in such a long time. But he'd claw his way back to freedom and solitude if he had to. She spent a lot of time trying to find a nice balance. This time apart showed Paloma that she was doing alright.

“I’ll order some pizza tomorrow evening. You can come over for dinner…you can stay for Sunday breakfast.”

“I will.”

“I love you, Paloma.”

“I love you too.”

“Should I imagine the look on your face now?” Jason asked.

“Stop it. I like saying it OK. There's nothing wrong with saying it.”

“No, there isn’t.”

“I still hear the mocking, Jason Gideon. I'm gonna get you back for that.”

“I think you're adorable.” He said. “I think you're beautiful…but you're also really adorable.”

“So how are we going to play parent-teacher night?” Paloma asked.

“Play it?”

“You're their father, and I am…”

“Cooler than he is.” Jason replied.

“I already knew that.” She laughed.

He just figured they would go with the flow. It’s not as if the teachers cared if Jason brought his girlfriend along. They'd surely seen a variety of different couples and parents over the years. The twins’ friends, especially those who had been at their birthday party, already thought Jason and Paloma were their mom and dad. 

Some knew they were adopted and some didn’t. While he didn’t want to perpetuate a fraud, it was important to Jason that the girls be comfortable. He knew how much having a family, being a family meant to them. He'd have a talk with them before the event.

“I'm going to make an attempt to get some sleep. I have a feeling there will be a nap sometime tomorrow in a feeble attempt to recover from this.”

“At your age, the effects could be long-lasting.”

“Do you kiss your mother with that snarky mouth?” he asked.

“Nope…just you. Love you much, sweet dreams.”

“Goodnight, Paloma.”

Jason ended the call. He went to the alarm on his phone, setting it for 8a.m. The odds were high that he would be awake before then. No one his age, mostly in their right mind, would sleep on a garden lounger. But he wasn’t comfortable with the kids being out there alone. 

Dylan’s warring parents had many family members who had been pulled into the battle. Jason sometimes worried someone was going to find out where he lived. Also, Cameron was mostly afraid of the dark. It was possible that the eleven year old wouldn’t make it all night under the stars. 

This is what fathers did; Jason remembered well that he didn’t the first time around. They looked after their sons. They slept on loungers, went to parent-teacher nights, and tried to make time on Saturday nights for their girlfriends. Life could quickly get away from them; sometimes they had to run to catch up. And sometimes, just sometimes, they could lie back, breathe, and have sweet dreams.

***


End file.
